Shorts: U.S.

Report: More young American Jews are Orthodox

new york (ap) | The percentage of young American Jews who consider themselves Orthodox is growing, a trend that will likely reshape the U.S. Jewish community, according to a recent American Jewish Committee report.

The study, released last month, found that 16 percent of Jewish adults ages 18-29 are Orthodox. That's nearly double the percentage of Orthodox among Jews ages 35-39.

Orthodox Jews are also more likely to be married by age 30, while more than half of all American Jews under the age of 40 are not married, according to the report.




House preserves travel in lobbying amendment

washington (jta) | The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment that would protect educational trips from lobbying reform. The entire bill, however, passed last week on a narrow, party-line vote of 217-213.

Democrats said Republican lobbying reforms do not go far enough, but all members agreed to the amendment that permits educational travel.




Jews uninformed about Gaucher?

new york (jta) | A new survey found American Jews are largely uninformed about Gaucher disease, even though they are the group most highly affected by it.

The National Gaucher Foundation study determined that about nine out of 10 American Jews are unaware of the disease. About one in 450 to 600 Jews of Ashkenazi descent has the disorder, the foundation reports. The disease can be fatal but is treatable in many cases.

To raise awareness of genetic diseases, a new Web site — jewishgeneticdiseases.org — was launched.




D.C. businessman buys baseball team

washington (jta) | A group of investors led by real estate magnate Ted Lerner and his family purchased the Washington Nationals baseball team.

Lerner and Major League Baseball wrapped up details of the $450 million purchase last week following a yearlong competition over ownership.

Lerner, 80, was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. His bid beat one by Fred Malek, a Nixon administration official who carried out an order from the president to purge the Department of Labor of Jewish statisticians.